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Better Sneaking - Today!


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Hola fellow CM'ers!

Just made a few observations from several of my PBEM games about how to makes your troops sneak better through low-visibility terrain like forests without getting bushwacked by the enemy.

So here goes: more waypoints is the key!

The way I figure the AI does it is it sneaks along its given path. If it encounters an enemy, it will actually continues moving to its next closest waypoints EVEN WHILE SNEAKING before opening fire. The only way it will fire itself without getting to the next waypoint is if it is

A) Veteran and above experience level

B) Fired upon and suppressed where it has no choice but to return fire

So, what do you do for lower then high experience troops? Set closer waypoints for sneaking! This way, if the AI spots the enemy half way to the next waypoint, it won't have much walking to do before reaching it, and will thus stop and fire back quicker.

Setting more waypoints does not slow the movement speed down and it's only drawbacks are clutter and hassle when you're setting them up. I think it's a good trade if it means the well being of your men!

I don't know if any of you already knew this, but just in case you didn't thought I'd share it with you since this sorta thing annoyed the heck out of me when my men wouldn't fire back at the enemy despite being told to sneak.

Good luck in your games!

------------------

"...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..."

- Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

[This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 09-01-2000).]

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Have you found that the AI does a good job of having your units sneak if they need to. If you order them to move from point A to B will they move for a distance then sneak if they would benefit from sneaking?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Commissar:

Hola fellow CM'ers!

Just made a few observations from several of my PBEM games about how to makes your troops sneak better through low-visibility terrain like forests without getting bushwacked by the enemy.

So here goes: more waypoints is the key!

The way I figure the AI does it is it sneaks along its given path. If it encounters an enemy, it will actually continues moving to its next closest waypoints EVEN WHILE SNEAKING before opening fire. The only way it will fire itself without getting to the next waypoint is if it is

A) Veteran and above experience level

B) Fired upon and suppressed where it has no choice but to return fire

So, what do you do for lower then high experience troops? Set closer waypoints for sneaking! This way, if the AI spots the enemy half way to the next waypoint, it won't have much walking to do before reaching it, and will thus stop and fire back quicker.

Setting more waypoints does not slow the movement speed down and it's only drawbacks are clutter and hassle when you're setting them up. I think it's a good trade if it means the well being of your men!

I don't know if any of you already knew this, but just in case you didn't thought I'd share it with you since this sorta thing annoyed the heck out of me when my men wouldn't fire back at the enemy despite being told to sneak.

Good luck in your games!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

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One thing I've learned is to never sneak bazooka teams to cover. For example, I have a zook in front of an enemy tank, but his sight is blocked. There is a house 20 yards from the tank's rear flank, an excellent place to shoot from. If I sneak the zook over to the house, he usually opens fire on the tank while in open ground, and if he misses, he gets shot while he's still in open ground. However, if I fast move him, he won't shoot, and he'll get to the house, where he can shoot from cover.

I think sneaking is sort of like a tank hunting. In both cases, units move slowly, and give high priority to shooting. Unfortionatley, you're sneaking because you don't want to be seen, and if you shoot, the enemy knows where you are.

------------------

There is nothing certain about war except that one side won't win.

-Ian Hamilton

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I think sneaking is sort of like a tank hunting. In both cases, units move slowly, and give high priority to shooting. Unfortionatley, you're sneaking because you don't want to be seen, and if you shoot, the enemy knows where you are.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My experience tells exactly the opposite: Just like The Commissar's troops, my men sneak past the opfor, leaving a trail of own casualties. Sort of stupid, when I really wanted "sneak to contact".

Case in point: My schreck team, located on wooded hill, knows about an immobile Sherman less than 50 meters down on the grassy hill side. The Sherman functions as a perfectly placed pillbox, guarding the back area for the retreating amis. I have no other AT capabilities. The Sherman is at the moment shelling an MG team some hundred meters away, at 120 degrees angle away from my schreck team. My estimate says I have about 10 meters of wood to move through to get LOS. I don't want to waste more turns on moving the team in 5-meter intervals, so I give it a 15-meter sneak command.

Turn begins.

After three meters, the target lines between the team and the Sherman appear. My team sneaks on.

After 5 meters, the Sherm's turret begins to turn. My team bravely sneaks on.

After 10 meters, the Sherm starts MGing my team. The team takes a casualty, but the surviving AT-trooper sneaks on.

After 15 meters, he finally sits down, mounts the tube on his shoulder, aims...

And gets a 75mm HE round straight in the chest.

Maybe I could have achieved a better result by waypointing. It's an aestethically unpleasing way to do it. But if it will kill a tank, I might do it next time.

But really, all move options should be equipped by flags: move/run/crawl/sneak

* to contact

* do not get distracted

Of course, experience will decide if they actually do as they're told.

C.

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<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by catullus:

My experience tells exactly the opposite: {snip!}<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've experienced this too, but I had three teams sneaking up simultaneously, and all were eliminated before shooting anything frown.gif.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>But really, all move options should be equipped by flags: move/run/crawl/sneak

* to contact

* do not get distracted<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd love this smile.gif.

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